yard 
yard (yärd)
noun
- a unit of length in the FPS system, equal to 3 feet or 36 inches (0.9144 meter): abbrev. yd
- a cubic yard, equal to 27 cubic feet or 46,656 cubic inches (0.7646 cubic meter)
- Naut.
- a slender rod or spar, tapering toward the ends, fastened at right angles across a mast to support a sail
- the transverse member of a mast on non-sailing ships: used to hold signal flags, lights, etc.
- ☆ Slang one hundred dollars or, sometimes, one thousand dollars
Etymology: ME yerde < OE gierd, rod, staff, yard measure, akin to obs. Ger gerte, rod < IE *hazdho-, var. of base *ghasto-, rod, pole > L hasta, pole, spear
the whole nine yards
Etymology: < ?
Informal everything, or the limit
yard (yärd)
noun
- the space or grounds surrounding or surrounded by a building or group of buildings: often in combination churchyard, farmyard, etc.
- a plot of grass adjacent to a building, house, etc.
- a pen or other enclosure for livestock or poultry
- an enclosed place used for a particular purpose or business a lumberyard, shipyard
- a place where wild deer, moose, etc. herd together for feeding during the winter
- a railroad center where trains are made up, serviced, switched from track to track, etc.
Etymology: ME yerd < OE geard, enclosure, akin to ON garthr, OHG gart, garden < IE *gherdh-, to enclose, surround (> girdle, Russ górod, town) < base *her-, to grasp, contain
transitive verb
to put, keep, or enclose in a yard: often with up
the Yard
Informal Scotland Yard
yard
n.
An enclosure, usually about a building
court, courtyard, barnyard, backyard, corral, fold, patch, patio, terrace, play area, lawn, grass, garden, clearing, quadrangle, lot; see also playground.An enclosure for work
brickyard, coalyard, junkyard, navy yard, dockyard, railroad yard, stockyard, lumberyard. Often plural; tracks for making up trains
railroad yard, switchyard, railway yard, marshalling yard, terminal. A unit of measurement
three feet, pace, step, arm-span, thirty-six inches; see also measure 1.
Converse of object
- marshal: There was also heavy flak to the north of Hamme on the approach to the railroad marshaling yards.
- situate: Rutland Square Hotel, Nottingham The Rutland Square Hotel is situated only 50 yards from historic Nottingham Castle.
- enclose: TO THE OUTSIDE Street parking to the front and enclosed tarmacadamed rear yard with outside light and useful stone outbuilding.
Adjective modifier
- livery: The house is situated about 2 miles from Addington Equestrian Center, close to local livery yards.
- cubic: Ironically, the Kenyon Cutting, east of the Newton Viaduct, yielded 750,000 cubic yards of material.
- few: They can only fly a few yards at a time.
- square: So one spring she took out a small spade and a square yard of English turf kept damp in a plastic bag.
- stable: Although designed for outdoor use, we also found it handy indoors and around the stable yard.
Modifies a noun
- offside: Smith looked two yards offside as the ball was played forward by Dacourt again.
- volley: His first-half presence was exemplified on 21 minutes with an 18 yard volley chance which was not far over the bar.
Noun used with modifier
- scrap: This time around, poor Herbie starts out in a scrap yard about to be crushed.
- shipbuilding: The shipbuilding yards of La Seyne have, however, been axed, closing the book on a centuries-old and at times notorious industry.
- breaker: Severely damaged, this is the second MG Maestro in as many races that looks to be destined for the breakers yard.
- knacker: If he'd carried on like that, he would have ended up in the fast bowlers ' knackers yard long before this tour.
- timber: Where the timber yard was is where the canal first branched off into the river.
- reclamation: Going to one reclamation yard is only the beginning!
Possessives
- knacker: More cuts would simply bring the knacker's yard closer, faster.
- breaker: A spider's web is a breaker's yard in miniature.
- builder: There are materials in the builders ' yard; there is a great deal of work to be done.
Preposition: from
- tee: The 8 & unders played 9 holes of approximately 1900 yards from Blue tees.
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